Always With You
by a novelist
Summary: Sequel to Disappear.


Oh, how I hate, hate, hate, HATE when a story idea bothers me until I get it written. Ugh. I was extremely wary about writing this; I'm not sure that it turned out how I wanted it to. But anyway, it's a sequel to Disappear, and you absolutely must read Disappear first, or you will have no idea as to what is going on.

And I posted this on my phone...apparently it decided to screw up and post the story twice. I'm sorry about that. Thanks goes to my first reviewer for pointing that out :)

Enjoy!

* * *

They were living in hell. Pure, excruciating hell. That was the only way to describe the life David and Holly Vega were forced into when their daughter disappeared on that humid May evening.

All of their spare time was solely dedicated to finding their daughter. Search parties combed the area, searching along the riverbank and the river itself. What few witnesses there were came forward willingly to be interviewed, but unfortunately, their statements led to nothing useful. With each hour that passed by, her family's hearts ached a little more as they began to slowly accept reality as it was: their daughter had likely not survived.

Now, nearly four days after her daughter's disappearance, a very frail Holly Vega found herself sitting alone in the darkness of the kitchen, her hands wrapped around a steaming mug of hot cocoa. She brought the mug up to her lips to take a sip of the drink, wincing at its intense heat. She set the mug down and lightly pushed it away before abruptly standing and walking to the window. Hollow eyes that were bloodshot from hours of crying and severe lack of sleep stared out at the beautiful sky above.

"She's not dead," she muttered. She pulled her turquoise robe tight around her, tying the belt of it in a knot. "She can't be dead. Not now. She's too young." She shook her head, running a trembling hand through her hair. "She's not dead. She's just – she's not." She sighed. "She'll come home. She always comes home."

Suddenly, David came up behind her and slipped an arm around her waist. He kissed her softly. "Sweetheart, you've got to get some sleep."

She shook her head slowly, her gaze still on the stars. "Our daughter is missing, David."

He kissed her again, tightening his embrace and gently nuzzling her neck. "You need to sleep," he said again. "You aren't doing her any good by losing sleep over this."

Before she could answer, the telephone rang, but neither parent could break the moment long enough to answer it. It rang three times before stopping abruptly.

Holly sighed, reluctantly unwrapping herself from her husband's arms and returning to her place at the table. "I just – I keep thinking we missed something. She was an eighteen year old rape victim enduring intolerable bullying by her classmates, and _we did nothing._"

He rested a hand on her shoulder. "No one thought she would do something like this."

She shrugged him off. "How can you be so calm?" she cried. She looked back at David with shining eyes. "She's probably dead because of us, David. Because we didn't help her – no one helped her – she's gone." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "She's not – she's not coming home." Her gaze dropped to her trembling hands. "She always comes home," she whispered.

David took a seat beside his wife. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. She buried her face in his chest. A soft sob escaped the grieving mother's throat as, for the first time since the accident, she allowed her composure to completely break.

"She's gone," she cried. "She's – she's really gone."

David kissed her again as tears of his own fell from his eyes. "We're going to get through this, sweetheart," he whispered. He sighed, and for a brief moment, his gaze drifted toward the window, where a nearly full moon now clearly lit the sky. He kissed his wife again, his eyes still on the sky as he softly said, "I promise."

Suddenly, their eldest daughter came bouncing down the stairs, phone in hand. "Dad? Mom? Do you know where Beck is?"

"No." David's eyebrows furrowed. "Who's on the phone?"

"His parents. Are you absolutely sure you don't know where he is?"

David sighed, reluctantly releasing his wife to face Trina. "The last time I saw him was when he left our house a few days ago." He shrugged. "Said he left a book or something in Tori's room and had to get it. Left empty-handed, though. Why do you ask?"

Trina sighed. "He's run away."

* * *

"You're beautiful." Beck gently pressed his lips against his girlfriend's own. He brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. "So beautiful."

Despite everything, Tori smiled softly. "Liar," she whispered before closing her mouth over his in a passionate kiss of her own.

A long moment later, Beck reluctantly broke away, breathless. Again, he caressed her cheek. "I'm not lying. You're beautiful." He kissed her again. "You're alive. You're beautiful just as you are."

"I'm alive," she whispered. She shifted in his arms. She sighed, running her hand lightly down Beck's chest, tracing with her finger the checkered pattern on his button-down shirt. "I've really made a mess of things, haven't I?"

Beck shook his head. "We can fix this, babe. We can make things right again, but only if you come back with me." He kissed her again. "Come home with me."

She sighed. "I – I can't. Not now."

Beck pushed himself up to a sitting position. "But you can." He gripped the sheets tightly as he spoke. "Tori, your parents – your parents are going through hell right now because they think you're dead. Don't you think you should contact them?"

She glared. "And you're one to talk," she spat.

"Because running away is _so much worse_ than faking your own death," he retorted. He angrily ran a hand through his hair. "Do you even care what you're doing to your family?"

She shoved the sheets back and swung her feet over the bed to stand, but he pulled her back. A moment later, she found herself staring into a pair of dark eyes full of rage – and she couldn't help but feel terrified.

"Don't you remember," he said desperately, "how you felt when you saw your daughter for the first time? Do you not remember her at all?"

She struggled to pull out of his grip. "How dare you bring Melissa into this," she said. Her voice dripped with anger, but even though she struggled to stand firm, she couldn't quite stop the tears that fell from her eyes at the thought of her daughter – the child she barely knew but loved so much. "Let go of me."

But he only tightened his grasp. "Back in California, your mother is remembering the first time she saw you, and the last time as well. That pain, that hurt, that sorrow – everything that you felt, everything you experienced after Melissa's death, is exactly what your parents are going through right now, if not worse. At least you know what became of your daughter. They're searching for your body right now in that river, Tori. Can you imagine how they're going to feel when no one finds it?"

She yanked harder, finally pulling free from his grip. "And watching your child die is better?" she asked incredulously. "You have no idea, Beck." She sighed. "You promised you wouldn't do this," she muttered. She wiped at her eyes, then began gathering the dirty clothes from the day before that lay strewn across the floor. "You promised you wouldn't judge me for my actions, but that you would help me." She shook her head as she began cramming clothes into her duffle bag. "I should have known better."

"I _am_ trying to help you. Can't you see that?" He slid off the bed and followed her as she began to walk away from him. She disappeared into the bathroom, where she quickly slammed the door shut and locked it.

He raised his voice so it could be heard through the door. "You can't run away forever. You can't stay here and pretend like the last six months of your life never happened, because they did. They did, and no matter how painful it is, you've got to face your past." Silence. Heavy, heavy silence. He sighed. "Let me help you. Please."

A long moment passed by. Suddenly, he heard a click, and a moment later, the door cracked open. Tori peered out from behind the door. Her bloodshot eyes met his steadily. For nearly a full minute, she said nothing, but only stared. Beck tensed, waiting for her to recoil with a comment of her own. He was surprised but relieved when she merely said, "You had no right to bring Melissa into this."

Beck swallowed hard and chose his next words carefully, knowing what was at stake – knowing that with one wrong word, she could leave again, and he may not be as lucky as he had been before.

"I – I'm sorry," he said gently. "You're right. I told you I wouldn't judge you, so I won't." She opened the door further as he continued, "I'm clearly not handling this situation right, but I'm here for you now. I'm here for you always. And if that means staying in New York with you for days, weeks, months…it doesn't matter." He hesitated a moment, then reached out for her, lacing his fingers through hers. "Six months ago, when you first found out you were pregnant, I promised you that you wouldn't go through this alone. Do you remember that?"

She smiled faintly and nodded. "I do," she answered. The bathroom door was completely open now, and she even dared to step into the darkness of their bedroom. "You were so, so good to me through everything. You never gave up on me, no matter how bad things got. You truly were always there."

He returned the smile with one of his own. "And that won't change now." Gently, he took her in his arms and kissed her. "I've broken a lot of promises over the past several years, but that promise – that one promise…it's one that I'll keep forever." He tilted her chin up gently, then kissed her deeply. When they finally parted, it was not without reluctance. He was relieved to see her beautiful, genuine smile once again.

"You'll never leave me," she said softly.

He shook his head. He caressed her cheek gently, his left arm still looped around her. She leaned into his comforting touch as he whispered, "No matter what."

* * *

Two weeks passed by in Los Angeles. Detective Swanson, the lead investigator in Tori's case, finally suspended their search for the missing teen indefinitely, much to her parents' dismay.

"She's still out there," Holly cried. "She's out there somewhere, and you're just going to give up?"

"It's been two weeks, Mrs. Vega." Swanson sighed. He leaned back in his chair. "We've had search parties in the area every day and every night for the past two weeks, checking along the riverbank and the river itself, to a certain extent." He shrugged. "I'm sorry."

"But she's still out there," she repeated. "How can you just give up on her like that? What if she's alive out there, waiting for help to find her? What if - "

"Mrs. Vega," Swanson interrupted. He sighed. "You've got to understand that we've searched the area thoroughly as far as the river conditions have allowed us. The water is much too deep and much too rough to continue. And if it's too dangerous for our search team, it is certainly too dangerous for your daughter." He met her eyes evenly. "I'm very sorry, but there's nothing else we can do."

David placed a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "She's gone, then?"

David kissed her gently. "She is," he said softly. He knelt beside her and caressed her cheek, wiping away her tears. "I'm sorry." He kissed her again, then straightened himself to face the other man. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you for everything."

Swanson nodded curtly. "I'm so sorry I couldn't bring you better news, David." He stood as the couple started for the door. "I'll see you out."

* * *

At fifteen 'til twelve the next day, Beck's cell phone rang, instantly waking him from his deep slumber.

Up until this point, he had entirely avoided answering his cell phone - he was a runaway, after all, and answering a call couldn't result in much good. By now, however, he had gone days with little to no sleep, and the after-effects had finally caught up to him. So when his phone rang early that afternoon, he was too groggy and drowsy to think twice about answering it, just to stop the noise.

He instantly regretted it.

"Where are you?" Andre's voice came over the phone. "Tell me where you are _right now_ because everyone is worried sick about you."

Beck groaned. "Give me a minute," he mumbled. He slid off the bed, careful not to wake his girlfriend, who had fallen asleep in his arms mere hours before. He pulled an oversized shirt over his head before stepping out into the hallway.

"It doesn't matter where I am. Just - just tell everyone that I'm all right. I'm just fine."

Andre scoffed. "You can't be just fine. Someone who just lost their loved one to suicide is not just fine. You're not going to try to pull the same crap she pulled, now, are you? You're surely smarter than that."

"So ignorance is associated with suicide now?"

"You know what I meant."

Beck ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not dealing with this right now," he muttered. "Leave me alone."

"No, Beck, don't go. Just listen. Tori's parents are having a memorial service Friday afternoon. Come back for it. Wherever you are, just - just make an effort to come back. It would mean a lot to her parents, and to her."

He glanced back at the closed hotel door. "Somehow I doubt that," he said sourly. He sighed, running his hand over his face wearily. "Look, I need to sort a few things out first, all right? I'll try my best to make it, but I'm not making any promises."

Andre sighed. "Fine. Do me a favor, though? Call me later."

"I will. Goodbye." He ended the call, shoving the cell phone back into his pocket but making no move toward the door. For several long moments, he stood there, his head resting back against the wall, his thoughts whirling.

A memorial service. That could only mean that their search had finally come to a very disheartening end on their part. He could only imagine the hell they were enduring back in California. It was hardly something he was willing to face himself.

He took a deep breath and stepped back inside.

Tori was awake and sitting up in bed, the wrinkled white sheets still wrapped around her from the waist down. She looked up at him with tired eyes. "Who was on the phone?" she asked.

Beck sighed. "Andre." He took a seat on the bed and took her hand gently. He watched her expression carefully as he said, "Your parents are having a memorial service for you Friday. He wants me to come back for it."

"Oh," she said simply, but her face seemed to fall a bit. "Are you going to go back?"

"No." He kissed her gently. "Going back would mean leaving you, and I told you I wasn't going to do that." He caressed her cheek gently, brushing a strand of stray hair from her eyes. "Are you okay?"

Tori sighed quietly. Her gaze dropped to their entwined hands. "They really think I'm dead," she whispered. She bit her lip thoughtfully. She tightened her grip on her boyfriend's hand. "God, I can't believe this."

"You knew this was going to happen," Beck said gently.

"I did." Her tear-filled eyes met his evenly. "I just - the reality of it all just set in, I think." She sighed again. "Never did I expect to get away with this, but when I did, I felt so relieved. I was relieved because in that moment, everything - the rape, the taunting, the hospital..." she shook her head. "Watching my daughter take her last breath, just before my very eyes." Her breath trembled as she exhaled deeply. "It all would go away, or so I thought. But my parents - I never realized the hell they would go through, and - and it's just selfish. It's incredibly selfish, and I can see that now. I've got to change this." She slid off the bed and started for the chair in the corner of the room, where her clothes were neatly laid out.

"Where are you going?" Beck asked.

"I'm going to make things right again," she mumbled. She glanced up at him. "We're going to California."

* * *

Leaving New York was easier said than done.

As soon as the decision was made, Beck took to finding the soonest flight out of state. Unfortunately, with the severe weather that was expected across the states, several of the flights were canceled or delayed, pushing their trip back several days.

"What are we going to do?"

Beck, who had just ended a call with the airline, stared down at the phone in his hand long and hard. "I don't know," he answered. He sighed. "We could leave by train again, but it would be a few days at the very least before we'd get to L.A. We'd be pushing it to make it there by Friday."

"But we have Friday morning, too. We just have to be there before the service, right? That should be possible."

"Only if there aren't any delays."

"We may not have a choice." She slung her duffle bag over her shoulder. She nodded toward the door. "Come on. Let's head out."

* * *

On the evening before the memorial service, David worked a double shift and didn't arrive home until very late. Near midnight, he pulled into the driveway of a pitch dark house. Very quietly, he let himself in.

He set the keys on the kitchen table and placed his briefcase beside a chair, then felt his way up the stairs and down the hall.

He slowly walked past his oldest daughter's bedroom.

Past the guest bedroom.

Past the upstairs restroom.

Past his bedroom.

At last, he came to a stop in the doorway of Tori's room. He stood there a long moment, taking everything in: the silhouette figures of the furniture, the large window overlooking the front lawn, the books and notebooks that lay scattered across the floor...

The picture of a frail young teen and her newborn daughter - one of the only pictures they had of the granddaughter he barely knew, and the daughter he lost so soon. His heart ached at the thought of it.

Someone came up behind him and slipped their arm around his waist, but still, he did not break his gaze. Holly kissed him softly on the cheek. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He sighed heavily. "I will be," he answered. "In time." He looked down at her and smiled weakly. "We need to get some rest," he said. "We're going to need every bit of it to get through tomorrow."

She smiled faintly, but nodded. "You're right."

He kissed her softly then started for their bedroom, but stopped when he noticed his wife was not following. "Are you coming, too?"

She nodded. "I'll be there in a minute," she said softly. He nodded wordlessly and disappeared into the bedroom.

Holly stepped into the room. It was only lit by the moon, which now shone brightly through the window. She walked over to the messily made bed and took a seat. She sighed quietly, letting her fingers faintly trace the pattern on Tori's bedspread. She shook her head slowly. "Where are you?" she whispered. "You were supposed to come home." A tear fell from her eye and ran down her cheek before splattering onto the bedspread. "How could you do this when we all loved you so, so much? Baby, I - " she swallowed hard. "You always come home. Always." She reached up and wiped at her eyes. "Why didn't you come to me? Why didn't you _come home_, baby? We could have helped you."

But of course, she was talking to nothing but the darkness around her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. In the far distance, she heard the sound of a train's whistle, but she thought nothing of it. Instead, she remained where she was, her eyes sealed shut as she took a long moment to let memories - well cherished memories - flood her mind.

And for those several long moments, she finally felt at peace.

* * *

David was still awake when she finally staggered into the bedroom nearly twenty minutes later. She quickly dressed for bed, then slid beneath the cold sheets and into his comforting, waiting arms. He held her close and kissed her softly on the lips. He searched her eyes carefully. "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "I am," she answered. She sighed softly. "More than fine, actually." He looked at her curiously, so she continued. "When I was sitting in there, alone, something came over me. A realization, I guess." She smiled faintly. Tears suddenly sprang to her eyes, but she managed to finish, "I've been saying for weeks that Tori always comes home. She always comes back. And for weeks, I've been unable to fully comprehend the fact that she's not coming back, she's not coming home, that she's truly gone. But, really - " she sighed. "She is Home. She's okay. And...if she's okay, then - then I'm okay."

David nodded, caressing his wife's cheek gently. He brushed his lips across her forehead, then whispered, "She's happy now."

Holly laced her fingers through David's, finally allowing the first few tears to fall as she softly replied, "That's all that has ever mattered to me."

* * *

"Babe, take my hand."

Tori exhaled heavily. Her voice trembled as she spoke. "I can't do this," she said softly.

Beck took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "Tori, look at me."

She sighed, but did as she was asked.

"It's going to be all right. Trust me." He kissed her softly. "I'm here with you, no matter what. You can do this. You _need_ to do this."

"But everyone is in there. Everyone from school, from - from my parents' work, friends, family, everyone. They're all going to be in there now."

"And I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry that we didn't make it here before the service, but, babe, this is something you have to do." He sighed. "Something _we_ have to do, together." He kissed her one last time. "No matter what happens, I'm here for you. I'm here for you always. Remember that."

She nodded. "I will."

"Are you ready?"

She hesitated a moment, eyeing the closed door in uncertainty. Very faintly, she heard the sound of voices coming from inside. She took another deep breath, desperately trying to calm her frantically beating heart. Finally, she whispered, "I'm ready."

Still clutching her hand in his left one, Beck reached up with his free hand to knock. For a moment, the voices grew quiet, and the sound of approaching footsteps took their place. After what seemed like a lifetime, at last, the door opened, and for the first time in weeks, Tori found herself face to face with her mother.

Words could not describe the expression on Holly's face at that moment. Clearly, a great variety of emotions overcame the grieving mother, and for a moment, it even seemed as though she may faint. But somehow - by the grace of God, perhaps - she remained frozen in place for several very long, very nerve-racking seconds. Her eyes locked with her daughter's own - the daughter she thought she had lost forever.

"Oh, my God," she breathed.

Again, Tori glanced at Beck, who nodded toward Holly encouragingly. Taking a deep breath, Tori finally dared to step toward her mother - the mother who had been through hell and back, the mother who had lost, the mother who had loved, the mother who had always, always been there for her. She reached out for that mother, the mother she loved so much, and took her in her arms in a warm embrace.

By now, Holly's composure was entirely lost, unlikely to return anytime soon. Tori held her mother as she cried, but not with tears of sorrow.

Tears of joy.

"You came home," Holly whispered. "Oh, thank God, at last, you came home." Her arms tightened around Tori's thin frame. "Thank God."

"I came home," Tori repeated. From over her mother's shoulder, she caught Beck's eye, then whispered, "And I swear, I will never leave you again."


End file.
